Cuba Trip, Thursday, February 28

The Labyrinth at the Seminary in Matanzas

(Written throughout the day)

Prayer Partner: Sean Devolites

My pal, Pedro

Last night at dinner we sat with a newly engaged couple. The gal as from Jamaica, the fellow a Quaker from Holguin! How fortuitous it was to be near them and how thankful I especially yet another Quaker! They gave us the insiders view of Holguin and the details of the Quaker areas. They told us who we would be meeting, and a working knowledge of who Quakers are in Cuba. It was delightful to say the least!

This morning we were joined by a couple from Santa Fe, NM who were here to teach a pastoral counseling class. Carlos, a student from panama, and another gal from Holguin also sat with us. I am amazed by the proficient levels of English everyone speaks! Thank goodness!

We are much at a loss for what this morning will bring. It's dark and cloudy, and no one has met with us yet. Thankfully, a lady just came by to tell us the administrator for the school would be by at 10:45, and I read on the schedule there is a chapel service at 9:45. (Can you tell my American type A, polychromatic time schedule hasn't relaxed yet?)

Travel Buddy, Kary, as we
awaited a new van to Havana

(Lunchtime....)
Since there is no Internet and not many folks to chat with, the blog will get a detailed report of this trip! The chapel service was extraordinary. The couple we sat with at dinner last night led the service, and she was the most dynamic preacher I may have ever heard. Following we met with the rector, Reinerio Valentin, the LWW in-country coordinator, Moraima, and the administrator, Ricardo Farfan, who is a technical wizard. They were so informative, so educated, and so enthusiastic. I am in awe and a wee jealous of my American counterparts, Jerry and Verniece! In fact, I begged Moraima to come to Haiti! We feel so good now about our trip to Holguin later today.

(Night)

Bienvenidos a Holguin

We finally had a similarity to a Haiti trip! On our way to the airport, our van broke down on the side of the road! It was June 2012 all over again! We were picked up by our driver from yesterday, and delivered safely to the airport, where we happened upon a cooler of ice cream! Yes, the day was good. Instead of the four seater prop plane I assumed we'd be taking, we were on a regular airline charter. Upon arrival in Holguin, and weeding through the crowd to find our bags, Alberto, the pastor's husband collected us. His accent is less difficult to understand, and it's allowing for great conversation! Little by little my spanish improves. Tonight we pray for a good day with our hosts tomorrow, as we are meeting at 9 to discuss the potential water systems! Praise be to God for an irreplaceable day!

Cuba Trip, Wednesday, February 27

When the sun goes down...

Prayer Partner: Barbara Shaffer

Bye, Bye, Miami!

This morning I woke up so excited I could barely contain myself! Though I travel nearly constantly, Cuba is a new place filled with mystery and excitement! While I have heard stories about how great it is from past participants, I couldn't wait to experience it firsthand!

Our flight was scheduled to leave Miami at 11:00am, but they had told us to be there by 7:30. Since it was my first trip to Cuba, I abided by the rules. Sure enough, we used every bit of the prep time. From documents checks, to waiting in line to check bags, to security checkpoints, we were at our gate with only time to grab a quick cup of coffee and enjoy the last USA toilet! The flight was uneventful, and no sooner had I shut my eyes than I heard the announcement we would be landing in Havana. I had prepared myself for Haiti-like experiences - chaos, multitudes of people, and poverty. Upon arrival, we were nicely greeted by a lady from the airline, who took us to retrieve our visas and escorted us through customs. (Note to self....don't lose the green card in my passport!)

Taxi!!!

After customs, we went through a security checkpoint to xray our bags and each got a nice pat down. Then we handed in more forms to agents before entering baggage claim. Kary's bag was one of the last to come off, and then the nice lady from the airline escorted us through the final checkpoint to hand in the last forms, and kindly stood outside with us until we found our hosts. The crowd outside was jovial and celebratory, not the "scary" scene one may find outside the Port Au Prince airport. We remembered to change money to Cuban Pesos before leaving, and then set off for Matanzas.

My first impression of the outside areas of Havana was very positive. There was light traffic and the streets were cleaned and pretty well paved. (You must understand by now that I compare everything to Haiti!) The cars we did pass were straight out of Detroit, 1950s style! (See picture..) I thought at times I had entered onto the scene of Happy Days!

The Seminary at Matanzas

Midway, we picked up a man to bring to Matanzas. Wouldn't you know, he was a Quaker Pastor! We had a lot to talk about! The drive was a couple of hours on a good road, and the scenery along the coastline was gorgeous. Vegetation filled the roadsides, and we hit the 100 km/h many times!

As it is with many trips, the folks we were to meet with at the seminary in Matanzas were not here. We did have one man stop by who said he was supposed to meet with us today, but instead had to attend a funeral. He'll be back in the morning. So this comes to you live from Cuba, under the shade of many trees, with a magnificent breeze. Music is playing in the background, and it reminds me of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Where's the rocking chair? Can someone bring me a lemonade?

Peace, friends!

Cuba! Haiti! Oh My!

What better way to spend the season of Lent than serving with two of THE BEST mission organizations ~ Solar Under The Sun and Living Waters for the World!

Wednesday, February 27 I will board a small plane and head to the island of Cuba! This will be my first trip to Cuba! Traveling with just one other person, we will leave Miami late morning and land in Havana by noon. Living Waters for the World In-Country Coordinator Moraima Gonzalez will meet us at the airport and serve as our host and tour guide for the day. We had originally thought the next day we would board a bus and travel all the way to the eastern edge of the island to Holguin. Thankfully, Moraima worked out a plan for us to take a small plane over! This made my stomach very happy. In Holguin, we will meet with the Superintendent, Clerk and representatives from Cuba Yearly Meeting. We are hopeful to come away with a signed covenant agreement to partner and install clean water systems in the Holguin area. What a true blessing it will be to work with my Quaker Friends and the mission organization I love.

The Cuba trip will come to an end on March 5. With just a quick turn around, I will take off for Haiti on March 14-30. This will be an exciting trip serving first with my favorite team from Herndon, VA. After their solar-powered water installation in Cazale, I will take a few days for R&R and then meet my new, rookie team from Las Vegas, NV. They will be installing a solar-powered clean water system in Philadelphia, near Gonaives. This will be such an exciting trip, as I will travel much to meet with current partners for follow up evaluation of their systems, and we will meet with potential new partners and future installations.

For all of this traveling with Solar Under the Sun and Living Waters for the World, and for our mission to succeed, we cannot go without YOU!  While my packing has not yet begun, I know one thing I will not leave home without! PRAYER PARTNERS!  Would you be interested in praying for me and the team one day during our trip? We will also lift you in prayer that day.

Will partner with us? Below is the list of dates:

February 27 - Barbara Shaffer
February 28 - Sean Devolites
March 1 - Becky Memmelaar
March 2 - Mary Kate Barnett
March 3 - Dana Jo Abraham Monk
March 4 - Carla Barnard
March 5 - Sam Medvene

March 14 - Leslie Toth
March 15 - Bill Reed
March 16 - Allison Fleig
March 17 - Jay Horstman
March 18 - Kendall Cox
March 19 - Meredith Gerhardt
March 20 - Diana Grace
March 21 - Stephanie Lada
March 22 - Shane Gray
March 23 - Carrie Delisio
March 24 - Claire Sparks
March 25 - Karen Cook
March 26 - Susan Rose
March 27 - Kathy Hogan & Fam
March 28 - Chuck Arnold
March 29 - Everludis Lopez
March 30 -Tim Myrick

Thank you, friends, and may the peace of Christ surround you with love and joy.

Haiti Trip, January 11, 2013

Prayer Partners of the Day: Josh Hagstrom & Jay Horstman

By the grace of God, even though Bob had given me the wrong departure date, I was able to change my flight to today. Last night, I set my alarm for zero-dark-thirty and set it to play "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton as my wake up song. I must have fallen asleep with my iPod in...and at 11:00pm, "God Gave Me You" played, and my body woke me up, and I hopped in the shower...only to discover it was 11:00pm! 

I reset the alarm, and this time was up at 4:15am to pack up and leave by 5:00am. Olizard woke to greet us, and we met Ancy and Hans on the road! Hans is so precious in his school uniform. He fell asleep, with Arnie Armadillo in his grasp and cuddled up beside me. 

We were at the airport just before 7:00am! We made incredible time really good time considering the highly unpredictable traffic of Port Au Prince. I hugged Bob, Jim & Peggy, as they were on the flight ahead of me to Fort Lauderdale, and thankfully had a peaceful, quiet time to check in with family while enjoying a cup of joe. It was a good trip. It was a successful trip. For the first time in a while, I am not ready to leave, despite being here longer than a week. The Spirit was alive and active in each person and in each site we visited. Talk about home? This is it. 

Peace, my friends, until the next adventure!

Haiti Trip, January 10, 2013

Prayer Partner of the Day: Sean Devolites

Clean Water + Clean Hands = Healthy Bodies

It was another early, early morning, as we went off to Jacmel again. The ride was a little smoother, as we did not have as many people in the Kia. The rosary is now a standard part of our passage over the mountains before the sun rises. We greeted Sister Eno and after breakfast, Peggy and I created the new banner, and the Sister and a couple of fellows enjoyed coloring with us! Peggy assisted me with the community training. We occasionally have a more difficult time getting people to attend as was the case here. In the end, I simply sat with Sister Eno for a long while and gave her all of the information she needed. She especially loved the "Sevi Ak Dlo Sa-a" song! 

Bob with Sister Eno

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful. I sat with Bob, Bertone, and Sister Eno to discuss the covenant, and loaded Ashley's Home Depot back into the Kia. We were eagerly awaiting the electricity to kick on so we could test the pump and run the system. Noon came and went, and it finally came on at 2:30pm. Thankfully the pump worked correctly, and we began filling the tank. We still had to shock the system, and Bertone had at least 2 hours of training to do, which meant driving on the mountain road in the dark. We didn’t get as lucky on this system and had 2 leaks to deal with. One required quite a bit of rebuilding, and we were running very short on parts, but in the end with ingenuity and creativity, we made it. Bertone did his training; we signed the board and turned it over to the Sisters. 

The first drink of clean water!

As we were about to pull out of the property, a woman from the community came through the gate and sister proudly said to her, “Come over here, I have some water I want to sell you”. The drive home proved as treacherous as we had feared, but by God’s Grace we made it. After unloading the boxes in the dark at the warehouse, Prestige beer never tasted so good. Now it's time to pack...but first a quick peak on the roof at the stars. Wow, God is certainly good. 

Haiti Trip, January 9, 2013

Time with Joseph made this day complete!

Prayer Partner of the Day: Stephanie Lada

Who has the teflon tape?

Today was a bittersweet day. First we had prayers and eggs, and then we packed up Meg and Bill. They have a 4:30pm flight home, and Ancy will retrieve them at noon to go to Port Au Prince. 

After a quick stop at the warehouse, which was amazingly clean and newly painted, we stopped at the intersection and dropped boxes off to Valdes. Then we made a second stop to pay the PVC parts man on the side of the road...since we forgot to stop by last night. 

Painting the banner

At St. Andrew's, the boys changed out the leaky trash filter head while Meg and I started the community health and hygiene class. We had a room of 100 children plus a few of their teachers. It was precious. We did a few activities, including having participants come up to taste different types of water and lining up to rate objects with germs, and then the hand-painting for the banner began! It was beautiful, organized chaos!

Meg mastered the art of
paint distribution

The boys had some small details to still fix, but by noon we were ready to begin the 3 hour operators training that Bertone does so well. Unfortunately at noon, we also left to take Meg and Bill into Leogane to meet Ancy, who looked incredibly rested and clean! I was so sad to see them go, but so thankful for the time with them. What a great team they are! We had a great ice cream lunch, and we also took Jim & Peggy back to the orphanage, as Jim does not sit and relax well! On the way back to the site, we stopped by Bertone's brother's house! It was a beautiful, out in the middle of nowhere, cottage with a newly dug well. 


Bertone began training at St. Andrews, and Bob and I sat for a good, old-fashioned heart-to-heart. After Bertone finished, we gathered as a group for the board signing ceremony, where we all signed the board and turned over the first 5 gallon bottle of water to Pere Bleu. He was so excited and proud of the system because he now has a way to be sure the water distributed within the community is really clean. It was an incredible feeling of confidence that he conveys to us. 

After picking up Jim & Peggy at the orphanage, I was able to finally to have some time with Sonie, my dear Haitian sister! I love her so! 

And God said, it is good. 

Haiti Trip, January 8, 2013

Father Blue's Rectory in Dufort

Prayer Partner of the Day: Leslie Toth 

Meg drills concrete!

After the beauty of yesterday, I awakened early again to catch the sunrise. 

Dufort, the site of our second installation, is only 20 minutes away, so we thankfully did not leave until right after breakfast. This install was a close replicate to yesterday’s; a board, two tanks, well pump and electrical. After the first day, the team had gotten so used to working together, this installation went in even smoother. In fact, I informed Bob as we arrived the girls would take over the inside assembly! Meg and Peggy did a wonderful job. 

Submersible pump goes in!

But wait! I have missed an important part of the morning's story! On the drive to St. Andrew’s, Bertone took us on a back route and at one point it was so narrow the right side of the truck got so close to a tree that Bob accidentally took off the right rear view mirror. Bill was in the back seat, got out and picked up the pieces. Apparently, when he jumped out of the Kia, his iPhone jumped out of his pocket! Once we arrived on site, he discovered it was missing, and after much encouragement, he and Bertone set off in the Kia to see if they could find it. ...But in Haiti what are the chances of a) finding the spot and b) it still being there with all the people around.

Bob offered up a quick prayer that God would keep the phone from others eyes if that was where it was. Bill and Bertone took the truck and backtracked. Praise God I got a text from Bill 30 min later...from HIS PHONE! WOW! They had found it right where we thought it was. 

Tank crew rocks!

By then, the girls were in full swing on the board assembly, and by noon the boys had the pump dropped in well. With the board assembly nearly complete, I joined a couple of fellas on the second story and plumbed the tanks from the ceiling down to the board. Being the first time I had been part of the tank crew, I was stoked!



We went back to the monastery for lunch and then in the afternoon finished the tanks, tested the electrical and began pumping water. In July, during the rainy season, a test on this well had been made, and within 30 minutes it had delivered almost 450 gallons of water and not stopped. Now, within 5 minutes we had no water. Through some trial and error we found we could pump for 5 min, rest 10 and do it again. For the teams out there reading, this is how drastically the dry season can affect your water table! Once we had enough water to test the system we did so, and Praise God, not one leak! This was clearly a first. We dropped chlorine into the tank, ran it into the system to kill all bacteria and left it overnight.

Keegan Joseph! 

As everyone was cleaning up, I wandered over by the church and met the cutest little boy. While I gathered his last name was Joseph, it sounded as though Keegan was his first name. He was wearing the cutest Harry Potter PJ's you've ever seen, and we immediately became friends. 

That night at dinner we celebrated Douyan’s 42nd birthday. Douyan is one of the brothers whose duty is the kitchen, serving and food purchase. He is quiet, unassuming and always there serving. He is a true man of God. We got the brothers to all sing in English and had a great time together before finishing up our LEGO party from the night before. 

LEGOS: Star Wars and The Hobbit Meet!